Letter: NRA has leash tightly tied to politicians

Saturday, April 28, 2007 | 7:24 a.m.

Re gardless of the events at Virginia Tech, neither political party nor any of the major candidates running for president will seriously address gun control.

Why? The National Rifle Association. The NRA, more than any other institution, has not only framed the national debate on gun control, but via its massive political clout, it also has exercised a virtual "veto" over this debate and over any political party or politician who chooses to endorse gun control.

The last time gun control was seriously debated was the Bush vs. Gore election in 2000. During the campaign, Gore - a lifetime hunter, outdoorsman and NRA member - was targeted by the NRA because he supported the anti-assault-weapon Brady bill. Because he was not able to carry his home state or neighboring heavily pro-Democratic West Virginia, both of which had high NRA memberships and were heavily saturated by anti-Gore NRA political action committee advertisements, Gore lost to Bush and the GOP. Had Gore been able to carry either state, regardless of what later happened in Florida, he would have won the election .

As an apparent quid pro quo, four years later with the GOP and Bush in charge, the assault weapons ban was allowed to expire. What was worse, however, was that this election forever altered the political calculus of getting elected in the United States. In many areas, especially in the rural South and West, if a candidate wished to be elected he or she needed the support of the NRA and/or its members.

The murder of 32 more students and the horror inflicted on their friends, family and fellow students, not to mention the billions the U.S. annually spends to treat victims or imprison shooters, apparently is a "cost" that many politicians are willing to accept to be elected . Our lack of political will to address the gun issue promises even more horrific and murderous episodes - truly biblical "rivers of blood " - to follow .

Jeffrey M. Shear, North Las Vegas